Ruth Asawa Hyatt Fountain of Memories

The art of Ruth Asawa

Chapter 1

Art born in captivity

Chapter 2

The Black Mountain College experiment

Chapter 3

Weaving space and shadows

Chapter 4

The public citizen of San Francisco

Chapter 5

The domestic studio

YOUR GOAL

Master of The art of Ruth Asawa

Ch 4 · The public citizen of San Francisco

Glossary

scrap (noun)
Discarded, leftover, or recycled materials that can be repurposed to create art. In 1967, sculptor Ruth Asawa sparked an arts revolution in San Francisco public schools by teaching kids to transform everyday scraps—like egg cartons and yarn—into imaginative masterpieces. Think of it as a creative superpower: with enough imagination, a pile of junk can become a museum-worthy sculpture!

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choko Ruth Asawa

Baker's clay, baker's clay, We cast the city in bronze today!

choko The collaborative Hyatt fountain of memories

Just learned how Ruth Asawa revolutionized public school art programs in 1968!

galleta Ruth Asawa turned milk cartons and clay into a citywide school art revolution.

I never knew Ruth Asawa hid mermaids in her Ghirardelli Square fountain!

galleta Explore the mythical sea creatures hidden in Ruth Asawa's 1968 Ghirardelli Square fountain and the fantasy behind this famous sculpture.

Ruth's Wonder Loops

BETA

choko Weave the wire loops to discover how Ruth Asawa sculpted with light and shadow.

Fun Fact

Baker's Clay: Ruth Asawa invited community children and friends to mold her famous San Francisco fountain's intricate details using a simple dough of flour, salt, and water.

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Glossary

Andrea (noun)
A whimsical 1966 bronze mermaid fountain sculpted by Ruth Asawa for San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square. Depicting a nurturing mermaid family, this civic masterpiece inspires public wonder, proving that art belongs in everyday shared spaces.

Gossip

Which public art style do you find most inspiring?

Quiz

Which public arts high school in California was renamed in honor of Ruth Asawa in 2010?

choko Fighting for arts in public schools

Fighting for arts in public schools

choko Asawa was a passionate advocate for bringing hands-on art education to public schools.

The collaborative Hyatt fountain of memories

choko Asawa collaborated with hundreds of local citizens to create a landmark San Francisco fountain.

Fun Fact

Baker's clay bronze: To design her famous Hyatt Regency fountain, Ruth Asawa used baker's clay (flour, salt, and water) to mold miniature buildings before casting them in bronze.

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Glossary

fountain (noun)
An ornamental structure from which a jet or stream of water issues. Asawa completed her first public bronze fountain in Ghirardelli Square in 1968.

Quiz

What mythical creature is depicted in Ruth Asawa's famous 1968 Ghirardelli Square fountain?

choko The controversial Ghirardelli Square mermaid fountain

Quiz

What unusual kitchen material did Ruth Asawa use to mold the designs for her San Francisco Hyatt Fountain?

choko A public arts school named in her honor

Quiz

Where is Ruth Asawa's famous 'Andrea' mermaid fountain located?